If Tomorrow Never Came
by IJeanette
Summary: The sequel to 'If Yesterday Hadn't Happened'. Grace has had whooping cough, and Albert and Sylvia's baby has caught it. How will Albert and Sylvia cope with the loss of their Baby Carrie, and how will Beth Quinn cope with the loss of her sister? Dedicated to lenellb.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Over the first few months, Carrie's hair slowly grew to be golden and tufty. Beth's hair quickly grew into a dark, tangled mane.

Carrie learned to talk at ten months old, Beth following her closely at eleven and a half months.

One day, Sylvia and Albert were sitting in the field outside Webb Place, holding the twins, when Carrie started to cough violently and cry.

Sylvia clutched her baby to her, and started to rock her gently. She hadn't been doing so for very long, however, when she realised that Carrie was struggling to breathe.

"Albert! There's something wrong with Carrie! She's not breathing properly!"

"I'll get Doc Baker,"

"Hurry!"

Albert ran back to the house, and Sylvia saw him hitching up the horses and rushing off to town.

She was sitting there, alone with her babies, Carrie burning up, and Beth screaming.

Albert arrived outside the Doctor's surgery and leapt down from the buckboard, "Help! Doctor Baker! _Doctor Baker! _Come quick, it's Carrie; she's not breathing!"

Doctor Bake grabbed his bag and climbed onto the Ingalls' buckboard. They raced back to the field, only to find Sylvia sobbing, with Carrie lying still and cold.

"Albert..." she wailed, standing up and going to him with their babies, "Carrie's..." the words choked her, and Albert's eyes filled with tears.

"Doctor?"

"Did you notice any symptoms of a cold? Of catarrh?"

"Her nose was running yesterday,"

Doctor Baker nodded, "Did she have a cough?"

"Doctor, what are- what are you saying?" Albert asked.

"I can't be sure..." the Doctor looked closely at Carrie's body, "...but I think she had whooping cough. Have you been to see anyone with a cough recently?"

"Grace..." Albert murmured, "Grace had it at the beginning of the month,"

"Your sister?"

Albert nodded.

"It's safe enough when you're three or older... but, as a baby..."

"She's dead," Sylvia said quietly. Leaving Beth with Carrie, Albert and Doctor Baker, she walked slowly back to the house in silence.


	2. Eight Years Later: 1893

Chapter One

Eight Years Later: 1893

"Ma?" Beth tugged at her mother's skirt.

Sylvia turned to look at her daughter, "What is it?"

"Who's Caroline Mary?"

Sylvia's eyes went wide, "What?" It was the first time Beth had mentioned her twin's name since Carrie died, "Where did you hear about her?"

"We're doing a project at school, and Miss Plum took us to the graveyard to look at the names,"

"Oh," Sylvia nodded slowly, "And... that's where you heard about... about her?"

"Yes. Who is she?"

Sylvia sighed. She'd known Beth would ask one day, but she'd wanted to wait for her to bring it up herself, "I think you should sit down, sweetie,"

Beth sat on the floor at her mother's feet, "Tell me,"

Sylvia took a deep breath and began, "A long time ago, way back just after you were born, my Pa died. Did you see a stone for Hector Webb? That's him. He died just before _your_ Pa and I got married. When we'd been married for a year, I went to hospital and I had two babies. There was you, of course, Elizabeth Lavinia, and... another baby. Caroline Mary – after your grandmothers,"

"I have a sister?"

"The Summer you turned one, we went to visit Grandma and Grandpa in Iowa. Auntie Grace had whooping cough, and Caroline – we called her Carrie – caught it. One day, she started coughing, and... by the time the Doctor got there... it was too late,"

Beth nodded slowly, and looked at the floor. She gulped back a sob, and said, "Why is she Caroline Mary Ingalls, but I'm Elizabeth Lavinia Quinn?"

Sylvia, who had remained calm through this, explained, "After Carrie died, your Pa blamed Grandpa, and said he didn't want his name anymore – we asked Uncle Adam to make it all legal, and changed our name to Quinn,"

"Why Quinn?"

"Grandma and Grandpa aren't your grandmother and grandfather – they adopted your Pa when his father died. Before that, he was Albert Quinn, and he wanted to go back to being Albert Quinn,"

Beth stood up, "Am I really your daughter?"

"Yes, darling. Come here," Sylvia leaned forward and gave Beth a hug.

Together, they stood in the kitchen, crying – a long overdue flood of grief.


End file.
